2

Did he then not shudder to baptize Pharisees and Sadducees, the heads of the law? Was he amazed as at a worker of a lofty life, and who could show a loftier life than one who eats locusts with herbs and lives in deserts? But not even this one's appearance was more venerable than John's; this one had soft clothing, but John a tunic of hair; this one's face was free of hardship, but John's form was squalid. Whence then was his presence so fearsome to this man?

7

While these were astonished at these things, and those at those things, and others at others, John, being constrained, gives way. And the constraint also resolved the perplexity of the crowds. For they learned through the things said at the baptism what sort of person was baptized. And he did not permit the devil to say: He appeared righteous and pure from unclean deeds, but exceedingly proud. For, trusting in his inherent righteousness, he did not fulfill the law of circumcision, he did not bring gifts of sacrifices, he scorned arrival at the temple, he did not touch the books of Moses, he dismissed the baptism from John.

8

For this reason he condescended to circumcision, he brought sacrifices, he held discussions in the temple, he read the books of Moses in the hearing of all, he partook with all in the baptism from John, washing the waters rather than being washed by them. Yet he bore the appearance of need, so that none of the human requirements might be left undone by him. For since he lived his life on behalf of all nature, which owed the complete keeping of the commandments, he comes carefully through every commandment, so that no unpaid debt of nature might be left behind and again leave nature a debtor to punishment.

9

And teaching the baptist these things the master cried: Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Let it be so now; you offer me untimely praise now; it is not the time for me you reveal my dignity... do not reveal to the devil the hidden mystery of my divinity. You do not allow him, having approached me as one of the sons of Adam, to be crushed by the divinity wisely joined to me; you put the prey to flight.

10

Let it be so now; there will be a time for my praise; the season for theology concerning me will come. But now it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. I have now been shown as the representative of human nature. I live on behalf of the indebted race; I have come to pay for now the things owed by them, not to receive now the things owed to my divinity by them. I have come among the generations of men as a lamb, a sacrifice according to appearance to be offered after a little while. Now is the time for me of a human life, not the demanding of divine worship for myself. Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

11

And immediately a dreadful sight was to be seen. John touched the head of the master with trembling. From above, the heavens having been opened, angels were watching what was happening, and the grace of the Spirit in the form of a dove, approaching the master's head, was pushing aside John's right hand. But the crowd stood even more perplexed, murmuring: Who is this? Then, as if the divine were answering the crowds: You ask one another, Who is this? This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

12

You have forgotten your labor and been reforged toward the master's desire and you cry out the words of Paul, slightly altered: I labor, no longer I, but Christ is strong in me. But let us run back to the master's voice: You ask one another, Who is this? This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. The begetter cries out his affection for the son so that we might learn the creator's for the world

2

οὖν Φαρισαίους καὶ Σαδδουκαίους τὰ τοῦ νόμου κεφάλαια βαπτίζειν οὐκ ἔφριξεν; Ὡς πολιτείας ἐργάτην ὑψηλῆς κατεπλάγη, καὶ τίς ἂν ὑψηλότερον ἐπιδείξαιτο βίον τοῦ βοτανῶν ἀκρίδας ἐσθίοντος καὶ συζῶντος ἐρήμοις; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὰ φαινόμενα τούτῳ τῶν Ἰωάννου σεμνότερα· ἐσθὴς ἥμερος τούτῳ, τρίχινος δὲ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ χιτών· πρόσωπον τούτῳ σκληραγωγίας ἐλεύθερον, αὐχμηρὰ δὲ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ἡ μορφή. Πόθεν οὖν ἡ τούτου τούτῳ φοβερὰ παρουσία;

7 Ταῦτα τούτων πρὸς τούτους κἀκείνων πρὸς ἐκείνους καὶ ἄλλων πρὸς ἄλλους ἐκπληττομένων, ἐνδίδωσι βιασθεὶς ὁ Ἰωάννης. Ἡ βία δὲ καὶ τοῦ τοῖς δήμοις ἀπόρου τὴν ἀπορίαν διέλυεν. Ἐμάνθανον γὰρ διὰ τῶν ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι ῥηθέντων ὁ βαπτισθεὶς ποταπός. Καὶ διαβόλῳ λέγειν οὐ συνεχώρει· ∆ίκαιος μὲν ἐφάνη καὶ πράξεων μὲν καθαρὸς ἀκαθάρτων, ἀλλ' ὑπερήφανος ἄκρος. Τῇ γὰρ προσούσῃ δικαιοσύνῃ θαρρῶν, περιτομῆς οὐκ ἐπλήρωσε νόμον, θυσιῶν οὐ προσήγαγε δῶρα, τὴν εἰς τὸν ναὸν διέπτυσεν ἄφιξιν, μωσαϊκῶν οὐκ ἐφήψατο βίβλων, τὸ παρὰ Ἰωάννου παρεπέμψατο βάπτισμα.

8 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο περιτόμῃ συγκατέβαινε, θυσίας προσῆγε, διαλέξεις ἐν τῷ ναῷ συνεκρότει, μωσαϊκὰς ὑπὸ ταῖς πάντων ἀκοαῖς ἀνεγίνωσκε βίβλους, τοῦ παρὰ Ἰωάννου πᾶσιν ἐκοινώνει βαπτίσματος, νίπτων τὰ ὕδατα μᾶλλον ἢ παρ' ἐκείνων νιπτόμενος. Ἔφερε δὲ ὅμως τῆς χρείας τὸ πρόσχημα, ὥστε μηδὲν αὐτῷ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παραλελεῖφθαι δικαίων. Ἐπειδῂ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῆς φύσεως ἐπολιτεύσατο πάσης, ὅλην φυλακὴν τῶν ἐντολῶν χρεωστούσης, ἔρχεται διὰ πάσης ἐπιμελῶς ἐντολῆς, ἵνα μηδὲν τῶν τῆς φύσεως ἀναπόδοτον ὑπολείπηται χρέος καὶ πάλιν καταλείπῃ τιμωρίας τὴν φύσιν χρεώστριαν.

9 Καὶ ταῦτα διδάσκων τὸν βαπτιστὴν ὁ δεσπότης ἐβόα· Ἄφες ἄρτι· οὕτως γὰρ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. Ἄφες ἄρτι· ἄωρόν μοι νῦν δοξολογίαν προσφέρεις· οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ μοι γυμνοῖς τὸ ἀξίωμα ἐκλαχισ... τῷ διαβόλῳ μὴ θέλω τὸ τῆς θεότητός μοι κεκρυμμένον μυστήριον. Οὐκ ἐᾷς αὐτὸν ὡς ἑνί μοι τῶν ἐξ Ἀδὰμ προσελθόντα παρὰ τῆς συνημμένης μοι σοφῶς καταρραγῆναι θεότητος, φυγαδεύεις τὴν θήραν.

10 Ἄφες ἄρτι· ἔσται μου τῆς δοξολογίας καιρός· ἥξει τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ θεολογίας ὁ χρόνος. Νῦν δὲ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πᾶσαν πληρῶσαι δικαιοσύνην. Πρόσωπον νῦν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀνα δέδειγμαι φύσεως. Ὑπὲρ τοῦ καταχρέου πολιτεύομαι γένους· ἀποδοῦναι τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων ἦλθον χρεωστούμενα τέως, οὐκ ἀπολαβεῖν νῦν τὰ τῇ θεότητί μοι παρ' αὐτῶν χρεωστούμενα. Ἀμνὸς τοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπεδήμησα γένεσι, θυσία κατὰ τὸ φαινόμενον μετὰ μικρὸν θυομένη. Ἀνθρωπίνης μοι νῦν ὁ καιρὸς πολιτείας, οὐ τῆς θείας εἰς ἐμαυτὸν λατρείας ἀπαίτησις. Ἄφες ἄρτι, οὕτως γὰρ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην.

11 Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν εὐθέως θεωρίαν φρικώδη. Ἔψαυε μὲν τῆς τοῦ δεσπότου κεφαλῆς Ἰωάννης σὺν τρόμῳ. Ἄνωθεν τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνοιχθέντων κατεσκόπουν τὸ γινόμενον ἄγγελοι, Πνεύματος δὲ χάρις ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου κεφαλὴν προσφοιτῶσα τὴν Ἰωάννου δεξιὰν παρωθεῖτο. Ἑστήκει δὲ τὸ πλῆθος ἀποροῦν ἐπὶ πλεῖον καὶ τό· Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὑπ' ὀδόντας λαλοῦντες. Εἶτα ὥσπερ ἀποκρινόμενον τὸ θεῖον τοῖς πλήθεσι· Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος μετ' ἀλλήλων ζητεῖτε. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα.

12 Ἐπελάθεσθε τοῦ κόπου καὶ πρὸς τὸν δεσποτικὸν μετεχαλκεύθητε πόθον καὶ τὰ τοῦ Παύλου μικρὸν ἐνηλλαγμένως βοᾶτε· Κάμνω, οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ἰσχύει δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν δεσποτικὴν φωνὴν ἀναδράμωμεν· Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος μετ' ἀλλήλων ζητεῖτε. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἐν ᾧ ηὐδόκησα. Βοᾷ τὴν εἰς τὸν υἱὸν ὁ γεννήτωρ φιλοστοργίαν ἵνα μάθωμεν τὴν τοῦ κτίστου περὶ τὸν κόσμον